dmac93065

The Detroit Lions DO NOT NEED a QB! We have Dante Culpepper, a former pro bowl QB who 4 seasons ago had MVP type numbers under offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. Linehan is now the Lions' offensive coordinator; he can make Culpepper at least serviceable over the next 2 seasons. The Lions are decimated along both lines of scrimmage and had an abysmal defense last year that ranked dead last in rushing yards, total yards & points allowed. We were also, 30th in rush offense and gave up more sacks than all but one other franchise over the past 3 years. A rookie QB will to do nothing but get paid $30 Million to watch the Lions go 0-16, 1-15 or 2-14 in 2009. Truth is, the Lions won't know if they made a sound pick in Stafford until after his rookie season in 2010, so 2011 or 2012 is the earliest that he can be held accountable for wins and losses. We cant wait 2-4 years for help from a player we select #1 overall. We need an impact player that can suit up & contribute now! Jason Smith, the solid OT out of Baylor can help us protect our current QBs and help our very talented running back gain more yards in 2009. LB Aaron Curry can ensure the defense won't remain dead last against the run in 2009. These are the type of players we need in Detroit. Drafting a QB #1 overall will do nothing but ensure Detroit will risk winless seasons in 2009 & 2010 because the porous offensive and defensive fronts will go unaddressed by selecting the very best players available at the top of the draft. TO ALL PUNDITS (Especially Mel Kiper) stop trying to force Detroit to take Stafford #1 overall. He will fail our franchise and the franchise will fail to give him a chance to develop into the player he could potentially be due to the lack of talent on the offensive front!

I agree with offseasonguy, the outlook seems bleak for those of us who DO NOT want Detroit to draft Stafford with the #1 overall pick. There were rumors suggesting that on Friday, Stafford's agent was in Detroit starting preliminary negotiations with the Lions regarding a contract for Stafford. Combine that with Stafford's celebrity on late night shows and the NFL network and it's becoming more clear that Detroit is intent upon drafting this guy with the #1 overall pick. They apparently are also looking at using the 2nd 1st round pick on an OT so it seems they have conceded the season already and just hope to be competitive in 2010 or 2011. What a bummer :-( Its gonna be another loooong season.

It looks like there's an internal conflict over the #1 pick between GM & the head coach. I think Schwartz tried to go over Mayhew's head to sell ownership on the idea of drafting Stafford with the #1 overall pick. All Lions fans know we have the worst owner in the NFL by far. If this were not so, he would have fired Millen years before he did and would have replaced the head coach mid-season last year rather than allow the team to go 0-16.

We just saw Josh McDaniels wreck the 2nd overall offense from last season because he wanted "his" guy at quarterback. I think the same is true with Detroit's new head coach. I think he wants to draft "his" QB(Stafford) and develop him, irrespective of whether this is the right pick for Detroit. When this pick fails, and is widely regarded as a bust a couple of years from now, Schwartz will be fired. Mayhew will then inherit all the blame for picking Stafford & for following in the Millen legacy of wasting valuable high draft picks on risky offensive players.

Mayhew please make a stand! Instead of drafting high to get a suspect QB that will always be poor on reading defenses and delivering passes with accuracy go with your gut & draft to improve the worst defensive in the league or plug some holes on the most porous offensive line in the NFL over the passed 3 seasons. Make this draft YOUR legacy, not Millens!

Unfortunately, Matt Millen lives on in the Detroit Front Office! What need was there in firing Millen if the team continues to draft as he would've? Here's the formula for failure, draft offensive skill players with you highest draft picks and solidify your offensive line and defensive front with questionable talent from later rounds. Great job Lions! Can anyone say 32-0?

Drafting Stafford amounts to an egregious wrong to the Detroit Lions Franchise & Lions Nation. Stafford was not even recognized as one of the best QB's in college this passed season, how that convinced the Lions he would be superlative as the QB of the future makes no sense to anyone other than the incompetent talent evaluators the Detroit Lions have assembled.

Once again Detroit is going to draft high on offense and neglect the defense until later rounds. Selecting Stafford 1st forces Detroit to reach for a mediocre offensive lineman with the 20th pick. That almost certainly assures us of losing the potential of drafting MLB Rey Maulauga. If we are lucky MLB James Laurinitus will still be available in the 2nd round, but the Lions will probably take Percy Harvin instead.

Lions faithful begged ownership year after year to get rid of Matt Millen for drafting in this asinine fashion, yet despite our most desperate pleas the Lions are going to continue, undaunted by a winless record in 2008 on their path of futility by drafting players that will never positively impact the team's win/loss ratio.

Anyone else think we need a governmental take over to help us manage this sinking franchise?

The Detroit brass is aware of the enormous risk associated with drafting a junior QB. Mayhew reportedly made comments earlier this week about how he thinks the draft system doesn't work as it should to help teams & suggested teams who choose wrongly will pay consequences for years. Somehow, the powers that be within the organization feel they need to make a splash with the draft, and this is partially fueling their interest in picking Stafford. Apparently he's the "sexy" pick! Curry, Smith or Raji are all picks that would enhance the teams wins in 2009, but some official has decided that headlines regarding drafting LB's and tackles wouldn't generate enough buzz for an 0-16 team. Wins are what Detroit should focus on; not how sexy a pick is, or grandiose a headline they can garner. I truly hope Detroit's interest in Stafford is superficial & meant only to draw attention to a woeful franchise in a city that needs whatever boost media headlines can give it. We all know how this story ends. The kid sits and "learns" while collecting the lion's share of $40 mill in guaranteed money for a full year. He goes on to start in year 2, and has some success until defensive coordinators realize he remains unable to pass with accuracy or go through his progressions. By the end of year 2, he's exposed as a one trick pony who can nly throw the deep route again man to man coverage. By year 3 he's regarded as a bust. Schwartz is fired and Mayhew's fighting for his job and looking for a new QB to replace the bust that is Stafford. See the careers of Matt Leinart, Vince Young & Alex Smith for reference. Can we just avoid this altogether and draft Curry, Smith or Raji?

As the draft draws nigh it looks more & more likely that Stafford will be taken 1st overall by the Lions. That's a terrifying prospect for those of us who want the team to be more competitive next season. The Lions do need a QB, but instead of Stafford, I think we should take Nate Davis or Brian Hoyer in the later rounds. Not as franchise QB's but as more solid emergency QB's than either of the 2 Drews. We should secure a quality veteran backup QB after the draft & get our franchise guy next draft. The Lions should run scared from the prospect of drafting Stafford #1 overall. The team needs a QB that can deliver at an accuracy rate of 60% or higher in the NFL. Stafford couldn't accomplish this in college & will likely see his college efficiency drop in the pros. I just don't see how Detroit reasons this will ever be a successful pick. You gave us the worst season of all time last year & yet we endure on as fans. Give us the draft WE want, even if you disagree. We deserve that after last season!

I sincerely hope the front office has a plan behind the Stafford pick. From the outside looking in, this seems a monumental mistake. Offensive tackle seems the right pick in this situation but a bust at offensive line like Robert Gallery or D'brickashaw Ferguson will hurt the team just as badly. Maybe they see something in the top tackles in this draft that scares them away but with the local economy being so poor that the Pistons have to mortgage tickets off to the opposing team to get a sell out, the Lions better spend money wisely and get someone who is worth every penny they pay

Drafting Stafford is a mistake in my view. However, it seems an inevitability at this point, so I'd love to see this draft salvaged by Detroit getting the help we so desperately need on defense. Unfortunately, I suspect Lions officials will reach for tackle M. Oher at pick 20 & hope Laurinaitus is available to select with the 1st pick in round 2. Detroit, like other bad teams seem to think filling stands is best done with a high powered offense, rather than a winning philosophy and a solid core of players who can execute it. I'd prefer to support drafting linemen and defensive specialists that fit our system and can foster wins rather than revel in a few highlight that accompany a series of heartbreaking losses. But I guess we shouldn't let the expectation of winning games factor into decisions regarding a Lions draft, should we?

So what's the deal with the "deadline?" I've been anxious all day to get news about whether the Lions are gonna abandon negotiations with Stafford. Seems to me, he's quibbling over money. AC put his money where his mouth was and had a deal in place within hours. Its taken days now & Stafford's still not signed. The longer this draws out, the more it hurts Stafford. He is not wanted by most fans of this franchise in the 1st place and when AC makes pro bowl after pro bowl, we'll sit back and remember today with a flash of anger.

Lions' brass should be careful about holding onto the notion of drafting Stafford as with each passing moment this Lions administration looks more guilty of breaking their 1st promise to us fans. If true to their word, they should have broken off negotiations with Stafford and announced Curry as the #1 overall pick by now. But, as we all knew when the statement 1st came out, this was just posturing. AC was being used to drive down the price of Stafford's contract & was never truly being considered with the 1st pick. So do they truly have a plan to win in 2009 or are they merely posturing with fans too?

Move over Carr, Smith & Young, the next big BUST is in Motown! The Lions have made it official and have agreed to Stafford's terms just prior to draft morning. Instead of addressing the 2nd most inept defense in NFL history, or an equally porous offensive line, the Lions felt the uncontrollable need to draft a mediocre former college QB that will never develop into a precision passer on the next level. This pick means the Lions will likely reach for an OT with pick 20 and leave the defense for later rounds. Great job guys! Millen's somewhere smiling down on ya! Lions nation just can't get free from the Millen grasp. The days of drafting high on offense and fielding whatever defense latter round talent can produce is the formula Detroit seems bent on following, 0-16 season notwithstanding.

This was a pick we could not afford. Financially we overpaid for a very suspect commodity. While from a franchise standpoint we delay drafting on defense for yet another year. Everyone on these boards can see tomorrows draft clearly now. The Lions take the best OT/TE available with picks 20 & 33 in either order. The defense gets ignored until round 3 and we end this draft not gaining the quality MLB or safety we so desperately need.

The sad fact is, our drafts wont change until WCF is out of the decision making process. He is fueling this insanity of ignoring defense in hopes of scoring huge points and getting fans excited about shoot outs each week. I am convinced he would rather see Detroit lose a 42-35 game than win a 3-0 game. Until he dies, yields ownership to someone else or a GM he will defer to takes control. (someone like a Parcels, Wolfe or Pioli) this Millen madness he supported will continue.

I fear we Lions fans will have to grit our teeth for the next 2-5 years until Stafford has unquestionably been exposed as an utter bust. Only then will the cycle that started today end. Unfortunately, as long as WCF is the owner bad drafts will continue with yet another GM/coaching tandem.

Our West Coast counterpart, the Oakland Raiders, have the same problem: an old owner with an outdated vision of how to win games. Neither franchise will win till the owners die, relinquish power or they finally concede to being failures in football operations and let proven personnel evaluators make decisions they are not capable of making.

This was a pick we could not afford. Financially we overpaid for a very suspect commodity. While from a franchise standpoint we delay drafting on defense for yet another year. Everyone on these boards can see tomorrows draft clearly now. The Lions take the best OT/TE available with picks 20 & 33 in either order. The defense gets ignored until round 3 and we end this draft not gaining the quality MLB or safety we so desperately need.

The sad fact is, our drafts wont change until WCF is out of the decision making process. He is fueling this insanity of ignoring defense in hopes of scoring huge points and getting fans excited about shoot outs each week. I am convinced he would rather see Detroit lose a 42-35 game than win a 3-0 game. Until he dies, yields ownership to someone else or a GM he will defer to takes control. (someone like a Parcels, Wolfe or Pioli) this Millen madness he supported will continue.

I fear we Lions fans will have to grit our teeth for the next 2-5 years until Stafford has unquestionably been exposed as an utter bust. Only then will the cycle that started today end. Unfortunately, as long as WCF is the owner bad drafts will continue with yet another GM/coaching tandem.

Our West Coast counterpart, the Oakland Raiders, have the same problem: an old owner with an outdated vision of how to win games. Neither franchise will win till the owners die, relinquish power or they finally concede to being failures in football operations and let proven personnel evaluators make decisions they are not capable of making.

I don't think this was a Mayhew/Lewland/Schwartz pick. It has WCF pick. He is just like Al Davis; stuck on this idea of a high powered offense with little defensive substance to support it. Stafford was not even regarded by many teams as the best QB in the draft, as most teams wanted Sanchez instead.

It would have been better to draft a nate davis or brian hoyer in the latter rounds, paying them a mil or two & not risking the franchise on the hope they will become something special. In order to protect the investment in Stafford, Detroit's gonna draft offense only on day 1. The defense is not likely to get addressed until our last two or three picks. All these free agents we secured in the off-season will leave next season out of frustration with Detroit's insane and senile owner who is not committed to winning games, just scoring points.

I am furious at this pick. Detroit has needed help on the defensive side of the ball all decade, & to ignore that with the draft shows and indifference to winning. The blame rests solely on the shoulders of WCF. Millen lasted as long as he did b/c he was following the boss' orders. Mayhew & Lewland will last well beyond their time as well if they are content to sit back draft based solely on a player's potential to score.

If Detroit refuses to address the OL, MLB, Safety & DL/DE in this draft they won't get a dime from me for tickets or merchandise sales as I won't support a team financially that behaves as if winning is something to be avoided at all costs.

Pundits all over the web are trying to denounce Lions fans for not supporting the Stafford pick. But, we have a right to demand more after an 0-16 season. We had such an abysmal record last year because of consistently poor drafts in the past. Seeing your organization relaunch the draft of Joey Harrington is the reason most have issue with the 1st pick we made this year. 0-16 shows the the depths to which drafting incompetently can take us.

The stats from the past 3 seasons show that Detroit needed the most help on defense then along the offensive line. An offensive lineman was never even considered with the 1st pick overall, and it seems the AC interest was merely a smoke-screen to hide the Lions' unwavering goal of signing Stafford. Most fans were not opposed to drafting a QB this year, but hoped we would find a gem in the latter rounds of the draft. Maybe we wouldn't have selected a "franchise QB" in round 6, but we probably didn't with the 1st overall pick either.

rb68...laugh we will...unfortunately we wont be the only ones laughing...at this rate we're likely to be the undisputed laughingstock of the NFL in 2009 & beyond. There are some sure fire picks in this draft, but Detroit will skillfully steer away from each of them. Mid-season the pundits on ESPN will mock Detroit for having so many highly seated picks yet choosing the worst talent available at those slots. AC & Smith will both make pro-bowls if not this year, certainly by next. Stafford is more likely to make IR than the pro-bowl by seasons end. At the end of 2010, he will look like a grossly overpriced bust & by 2012 he will be a backup for another team or out of the league altogether.

Mel Kiper, one of the biggest supporters of Stafford during this draft process, was pressed on national television to make the declaration that there wouldn't be a bust among either of the 3 QB's picked in this draft. After evading the question for a while he said, I think my NFL personnel would agree it won't be Sanchez. Trey Wingo pressed him further to say who might be the bust of the class and he said, I'm not sure but I'm learning towards Freeman. Not exactly a ringing endorsement from your most publicized supporter, is it?

Many teams have tried placing other undersized guys at MLB. It doesn't work most of the time. A middle linebacker has to take on centers, guards & tackles at times to stuff the run. We need a MLB the size of Ray Lewis, 6'1, 245lbs, or Brian Urlacker 6'4 255lbs to stuff the run. This guy is a good cover 2 MLB at best. He can run and pass protect well but we will get gashed against the run all season. The Lions shouldn't expect Grady to give more than 12-15 snaps a game at his age and the other guys we have upfront are small and fast. Sims, Petersen and the rest of our defensive front can be had against the run & with Minnesota & Chicago in our division stopping the run is a priority. Sorry guys but I dont see this pick doing anything but adding depth to the OLB position. We need a run stuffer!

I don't get this 2nd day of drafting. With the exception of the pick for Hill...i don't think we upgraded the team at all. Where are all these players that are supposed to be bigger, stronger and more physical. We didn't meet that stated goal. We didn't draft for need & the players selected can't possibly have been the highest rated, most talented players on the board. Were they just the most likely to accept an affordable contract? Otherwise I don't get day 2 at all.

None of the guys selected, save the one I mentioned earlier, seem better than what's on the roster at present. Detroit doesn't develop players well so "coaching up" sub-par talent isn't going to work for Detroit like it does in NE, Pitt or Indy, so what gives? Why did Detroit let day two of the draft end without upgrading the offensive line, or middle linebacker position?

Having said that, kudos on the Delmas & Hill picks...the defense will be better as a result of this draft & Delmas may soon develop into a pro bowl player....still in round 3, Detroit could have gotten a quality corner/safety who could return punts & a bona fide middle linebacker instead of the poor choices made in round 3. Those guys are barely practice squad material. After a good start, I have to give the Lions a D overall for this draft as we only walked away with 3 starters when we could have easily had 5 maybe 6.